Muttiah Muralitharan equalled Shane Warne's world record tally of 708 wickets as Sri Lanka sent England crashing in the first Test yesterday.
The off-spinner grabbed 4-30 in 23 overs as England, replying to Sri Lanka's modest 188, slumped to 186-6 by tea before heavy rain washed out the rest of the day's play.
The weather gods in Muralitharan's home town of Kandy held up his bid to become Test cricket's most successful bowler, but the 35-year-old is unlikely to be denied the honor when play resumes today.
PHOTO: AFP
Muralitharan looked unplayable on the uneven pitch at the Asgiriya Stadium as the batsmen groped to negotiate the turn and bounce he extracted from the surface.
Paul Collingwood, unbeaten on 14, was England's last remaining hope to gain a substantial lead on a wicket where 16 wickets have already fallen in the first two days.
Ryan Sidebottom was the other batsman at the crease, on one.
Muralitharan, who went into the match needing five wickets to overtake Warne, had debutant Ravi Bopara caught behind by wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene in the post-lunch session to claim his 708th victim.
Earlier, the overnight pair of Ian Bell (83) and captain Michael Vaughan put on 107 for the second wicket.
Bell opened proceedings by driving the first ball of the day from Fernando for four and later flicked the same bowler for another boundary to bring up his 15th Test half-century.
Muralitharan, who came on in the day's eighth over, was welcomed by a lofted boundary by Bell to wide mid-on.
Vaughan brought up the century stand with a majestic pull off Chaminda Vaas that raced to the square-leg fence.
The partnership, which threatened to take the game away from Sri Lanka, was cut short by a controversial decision by Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar against the England captain just before lunch.
Vaughan, looking solid on 37, was given out caught at silly-point off Muralitharan even as television replays showed the ball may have bounced off the pad to the fielder.
A shocked Vaughan stood aghast at his crease as Dar raised his finger, before trudging back slowly to the pavilion amid loud jeers from 3,000 England supporters.
There was, however, no doubt about Bell's wicket as Chamara Silva lunged to his left at short mid-on to catch an uppish flick by the batsman off Muralitharan.
England took their lunch score of 145-3 to 170 before three wickets fell for 15 runs, two of them to Muralitharan.
He trapped Kevin Pietersen in front for 31 and dismissed Bopara for eight before Dilhara Fernando had Matthew Prior caught.
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